A "device" found on the campus prompted the response and nearby road closures

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A Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department Bomb Squad vehicle at the site of an evacuation at the VA hospital in West L.A. on Monday, April 29, 2013.

A device that appeared to be a hand grenade prompted a partial evacuation and bomb squad response Monday morning at a VA hospital in Los Angeles.

The bomb squad responded to the Veterans Administration West Los Angeles Medical Center. at about 7 a.m. local time after the discovery of the device. A 66-year-old patient brought the item to the emergency room area and claimed to have found a grenade in a bathroom, according to authorities.

Bomb squad investigators determined that the device was "inert."

"It was non-active, but it was made to look like it was active," said Ed Casey, VA police chief. "The subject had placed a copper wire through the thumb break of the grenade."

The man who brought the device to the ER area was detained, and authorities later told NBC4 Southern California that he admitted to bringing the grenade to the hospital. Investigators planned to search the man's home for explosives.

The emergency room area was evacuated. The order, involving about 100 people, was lifted at about 9:20 a.m. local time.

The investigation also led to nearby road closures. Aerial video showed firefighting units and other law enforcement vehicles on the campus, which has its own 72-member police force.